Automated lesson selection and examination in computer-assisted education

ABSTRACT

The invention concerns computer-assisted education, in which a school curriculum is stored in computer repositories. A learning profile is maintained for every student, which indicates the student&#39;s capabilities, preferred learning style, and progress. Based on the profile, an Intelligent Administrator (IA) selects appropriate material for presentation to the student during each learning session. The IA then assesses whether the student has mastered the material. If not, the material is presented in a different way. If repeated different presentations fail to instill mastery, the IA establishes a video conference between the student and a professor.

This is a continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 08/217,065, entitled"Automated Resources Management System," filed on Mar. 24, 1994, inwhich David M. Siefert is the inventor. This application is herebyincorporated by reference.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

Ser. No. 08/217,062, entitled "Ordering and Downloading Resources fromComputerized Repositories," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor,filed on Mar. 24, 1994.

Ser. No. 08/217,063, entitled "Automated Updating of Computer Software,"in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor, filed on Mar. 24, 1994.

Ser. No. 08/217,066, entitled "Future Boolean Searching of MultipleRepositories of Resources," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor,filed on Mar. 24, 1994.

Ser. No. 08/217,067, entitled "Security Aspects of Computer ResourceRepositories," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor, filed on Mar.24, 1994.

Ser. No. 08/217,422, entitled "Launching Computer Program Upon Downloadof Data Created by Program," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor,filed on Mar. 24, 1994.

Ser. No. 08/217,476, entitled "Computer System for Management ofResources," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor, filed on Mar. 24,1994.

Ser. No. 08/218,024, entitled "Multiple Repositories of ComputerResources, Transparent to User," in which David M. Siefert is theInventor, filed on Mar. 24, 1994.

Ser. No. 08/334,775, entitled "Computer-Assisted Education," in whichDavid M. Siefert is the Inventor, filed concurrently.

Ser. No. 08/334,776, entitled "Computerized Repositories Applied toEducation," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor, filedconcurrently.

Ser. No. 08/334,777, entitled "Computer-Assisted Education Using VideoConferencing," in which David M. Siefert is the Inventor, filedconcurrently.

Ser. No. 08/334,779, entitled "Selecting Teaching Strategies Suitable toStudent in Computer-Assisted Education," in which David M. Siefert isthe Inventor, filed concurrently.

Ser. No. 08/334,780, entitled "Computer-Assisted Curriculum," in whichDavid M. Siefert is the Inventor, filed concurrently.

These Applications are hereby incorporated by reference.

The invention concerns computerized systems used for education.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Many school systems have become highly centralized. Large schools haveevolved, which serve wide geographic areas. The geographic area coveredby some schools is so wide that certain students must make a round tripof one hundred miles, or more, to attend classes.

One benefit of a large, centralized school is that a vast, diversecurriculum can be offered. It is desirable to offer the diversecurriculum, without imposing the long-distance travel on students.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

An object of the invention is to provide a system which allows studentsto attend school, yet remain at home.

An object of the invention is to provide formal education at geographicdistributed sites.

Another object of the invention is to provide formal education by theuse of computers, using the existing public-access telephone system.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one form of the invention, a system of computers store lessons whichare transmitted to computers used by students. At intervals, theinvention assess the students' progress, and selects appropriate lessonsfor the student at the time.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates one conception of the architecture of CLS, by whichany STUDENT can gain access to any REPOSITORY.

FIG. 2 illustrates a high-level logic flow of the presentation of alesson under the invention.

FIGS. 3 and 4 illustrate a more detailed logic flow of the presentationof a lesson.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION Highly Simplified Overview

FIG. 1 illustrates a simplified form of one architecture which canaccomplish the objectives of the invention. REPOSITORIES holdeducational computer programs. Students obtain access to the programsneeded, via the NETWORK indicated. The programs instruct the students inan interactive manner.

The students need not be present at the REPOSITORIES, but stationthemselves at convenient locations, such as their homes, therebyeliminating the need to travel to a physical facility to attend classes.

The Educational Programs

The teaching programs themselves are commercially available, and newprograms will be developed as systems such as the present inventionbecome more widely implemented.

Programs which test students, in order to determine the students' masterof material, are also commercially available.

The invention provides several highly innovative features whichsignificantly enhance the effectiveness of these teaching programs andtesting programs.

Profiles

One is that a PROFILE is generated for each student. PROFILES arediscussed in the Related Applications. As adapted to the presentinvention, the PROFILE is, in simple terms, a description of (a) thepresent educational status, (b) the educational needs and (c) theeducational capabilities, of the student.

Educational Status

Educational status refers to the student's present position in thestudent's educational career. For example, third-month, secondary-schoolfreshman is one status.

The invention uses the educational status in deciding what material topresent the student at a given time, as discussed more fully below.

Educational Needs

Educational needs refer to the instruction needed by the student at thetime, which is largely determined by the student's curriculum. Forexample, the lessons needed by a college sophomore having a curriculumof college chemistry, with emphasis on organic synthesis, are known.

Educational Characteristics

Educational characteristics refer to the manner of teaching to which thestudent best responds. That is, the invention identifies learningcharacteristics of each student, and presents material in a mannercompatible with the characteristics.

As a simple example, some students can understand the PythagoreanTheorem directly from its mathematical statement, namely,

    hypotenuse.sup.2 =side1.sup.2 +side2.sup.2.

Other students do not obtain information from such an abstractstatement, and must see the Theorem applied to specific examples beforethey understand it.

The preferred learning styles are ascertained by a combination ofstudent-counsellor interviews, computer-assisted examination of thestudent, and standard psychological assessment.

The invention uses the PROFILES to select material to present to thestudent during each session. The PROFILE is updated, if required, ateach students' learning session, to indicate progress made during thesession. This updating is automatic, and done non-intrusively.

Different Presentation of Given Lesson

The invention includes educational programs which present a given lessonin different ways, in order to accommodate the fact that differentstudents assimilate material in different ways. This collection ofdifferent presentations allows implementation of two teachingapproaches.

1. Different Presentations of SAME Lesson for DIFFERENT Students

As discussed immediately above, because different students havedifferent learning characteristics, the invention selects a suitablemanner of presentation from the collection, based on the learningcharacteristics of the student. The selection is made based on thePROFILE.

2. Different Presentations of SAME Lesson for SAME Student

The collection of presentations can be used to offer differentpresentations to a given student, if the student fails to master alesson when presented the first time. Three reasons exist which indicatethat this approach may be desirable.

One, it is expected that a given student does not maintain constantlearning characteristics at all times.

Two, the characterization of learning style of a student is not aperfect science. Thus, even if the learning characteristics neverchange, it is not clear that a perfect match can always be made betweena style of presentation and the learning characteristics of the student.

Three, even if the classification of learning style becomes perfected,the subject matter of some lessons may not be amenable to the learningstyle preferred by the student. For example, there exists a "left-brain,right-brain" conception of human thinking, wherein the left-brain isbelieved to manage logic, and the right-brain manages creativity andimagery.

For a "right-brain" student, there may exist no directly compatibleteaching strategy for explaining "left-brain" subject matter. Forinstance, there may be no perfectly compatible teaching strategy toexplain the principles of artistic color theory to a right-brain studentundertaking a curriculum of nuclear physics.

Therefore, the invention presents a given lesson in successive,different ways, if the student does not master the lesson the firsttime.

Subject Matter Expert

If a student fails to demonstrate mastery of a lesson after a prescribednumber of attempts, the invention establishes a video conference betweenthe student and a SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT. The SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT is aconsultant who is expert in the subject matter of the lesson causingdifficulty. The video conference allows the SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT toidentify the difficulties encountered by the student, and to offercoaching.

Establishment of the video conference is allowed by commerciallyavailable systems, such as the CLS system described below, and alsodescribed in the Related Applications.

CLS places no geographic restriction on the location of the SUBJECTMATTER EXPERT, except that the expert must be able to establish acommunication link with the system. With no such restrictions, theSUBJECT MATTER EXPERT can be located anywhere in the world. This featureallows Subject Matter Experts of the highest caliber to be obtained,because such experts are a rare species, and not easily located.

Intelligent Administrator

An INTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATOR, IA, taking the form of a system ofprograms and computer objects, organizes the instructional activity. TheIA does the following: examines the PROFILE of each student, selects theproper lessons for each session, administers examinations to thestudents, updates the PROFILE, and patches up the student with a SUBJECTMATTER EXPERT when necessary. In addition, the IA assesses theperformance of the student, in a continual and non-intrusive manner.

The IA itself can call upon its own SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS when itencounters a condition which its programming and organization cannothandle.

Greater Detail Concerning Invention Invention Utilizes CommerciallyAvailable Equipment

The invention can be utilized in conjunction with the informationmanagement system sold under the trade name "Continuous Learning System"(CLS) and available from AT&T Global Information Solutions Company,Dayton, Ohio. CLS provides the systems to allow the remote access andvideo conferencing described above.

This discussion will explain some of the relevant features of CLS, andwill then consider in greater detail the PROFILES and the IA.

1. CLS Uses Multiple, Linked Computers. In CLS, users interact withmicro-computers, such as the well-known, highly advanced, andinexpensive Personal Computer (PC). The micro-computers are located atlocations of the users' preference, such as their homes, offices, orvehicles. The micro-computers connect with CLS by data links, such asprivate or public data networks, or by commercially available telephonechannels.

The links can take the form of traditional, hard-wired telephonechannels, or wireless links, such as provided by cellular telephoneservice.

2. CLS Has Vast Storage Capability. Entire Curriculum can be Stored. CLSacts as a storage facility for materials which are generically calledRESOURCES. RESOURCES can be classified into two types, namely (a) thosewhich are downloadable and (b) those which are not. Two examples ofdownloadable RESOURCES are (a) a computer program, and (b) a file storedon a mass storage medium, such as a disc- or tape drive. Two examples ofRESOURCES which are NOT downloadable are (a) a 35 mm film and (b) abook, in paper format.

Static and Dynamic Resources

RESOURCES consist of anything which has potential value in terms ofrecovering knowledge. RESOURCEs include, for example, information whichcan be downloaded, such as data, files, computer applications,computer-managed instruction. RESOURCES also include SYSTEMS, such asthe commercially available information services known as CompuServe andProdigy, because these SYSTEMS allow recovery of knowledge. SubjectMatter Experts are also RESOURCES. RESOURCES can be classified in adifferent way, namely, as either static or dynamic. The RESOURCESdiscussed above are of the static type, because, at the time ofrecovery, they are pre-existing.

Dynamic RESOURCES are not pre-existing at the time of recovery, but comeinto existence at the time of recovery. For example, when televisionnews media cover an event in real time, such as the State-of-the-UnionAddress of the President of the United States, information contained inthe Address becomes available for recovery (if the news media islinkable to CLS or an equivalent). The information was not pre-existing,but came into existence at the time recovery became possible. (Ofcourse, there is an extremely short time delay between the time of theAddress and time recovery becomes possible. This time is considerednegligible, and does not render the Address pre-existing.)

Non-Downloadable RESOURCES Can be Used

In general, it is expected that the invention will utilize downloadableRESOURCES primarily. However, because the vast storage ability allowsthe invention to hold a curriculum of truly immense proportions, it isexpected that many educational courses will refer to materials whichcannot be rendered into downloadable format, for reasons such ascopyright laws. For such courses, the automated retrieval capabilitiesof CLS become significant. These features are described in the RelatedApplications.

Storage facilities in CLS are called REPOSITORIES. A REPOSITORY includesone micro-computer, or a group of micro-computers at a single location.(REPOSITORIES can also contain more advanced computers, such asmain-frames and mini-computers.) The REPOSITORIES themselves can bedistributed over an extremely wide geographic area; they can be spreadworld-wide. As a result, the RESOURCES will likewise be widelydistributed, because they are stored in the REPOSITORIES.

However, despite this geographically distributed storage of RESOURCES,and despite the vast total storage capability of the overall system, CLSallows the user to deal with all downloadable RESOURCES as thoughphysically present on the user's computer. That is, in effect, the usersees all RESOURCES, no matter where located, as though located in thestorage devices of the user's own computer.

Therefore, several school districts can maintain their own REPOSITORIES.However, because the REPOSITORIES are linked by CLS, to the student, allRESOURCES appear to be located at a single, convenient location. (Ofcourse, under CLS the student can, if desired, ascertain the fact thatthe RESOURCES reside in different REPOSITORIES, and are not, in fact,located at a single place.)

3. CLS Has Database Characteristics. CLS can be viewed as a type ofdatabase, but with several distinguishing features. One, the storagecapacity of CLS is, for practical purposes, without limitation. Onereason is that the architecture of CLS centers upon the PC. Expansion ofstorage in PCs is simple and inexpensive. Further, additional PCs can beadded to CLS with little or no software modification: CLS is designed toaccommodate this expansion. Stated in other words, the PCs are directlyconcatenable. In principle, there is no practical limit to the amount ofstorage available.

A second feature is that CLS allows a user to see a list of RESOURCES,to which the user is allowed access, and allows the user to select aRESOURCE. If the RESOURCE is a computer program, or other object thatruns on a processor, CLS retrieves the selected RESOURCE, and launchesit.

In the present context, this feature is important, because the RESOURCESinclude educational computer programs, as discussed below. When thestudent, or the INTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATOR, selects a RESOURCE, CLSautomatically launches it, if possible.

4. CUSTODIAN of Each REPOSITORY Controls Contents (ie, Resources) ofREPOSITORY, and Controls Access to RESOURCES Contained within theREPOSITORY. The person, or agency, having physical custody of eachREPOSITORY has the power to load RESOURCES into storage within thecomputers of the REPOSITORY. Thus, the CUSTODIAN controls the contentsof the REPOSITORY. Further, CLS allows the CUSTODIAN to designate theparties who shall be granted access to each RESOURCE.

Under the present invention, a local school district, for example, willcontrol the RESOURCES, which contain the curriculum for the students.This school district will control access to the RESOURCES, and can grantaccess to students of other districts, if desired.

5. Each RESOURCE Has a PROFILE. A "RESOURCE PROFILE" is a collection ofinformation which describes a RESOURCE. The PROFILE contains, forexample,

a) a descriptive title;

b) the REPOSITORY containing the RESOURCE;

c) information about physical characteristics of the RESOURCE (mediatype, such as computer disc, video tape, paper book, etc.);

d) relevant dates, such as date of loading into the REPOSITORY;

e) security-related information;

f) and so on.

The PROFILEs are somewhat analogous to the cards of the card catalog ofa library. In a library, the books, and other media, such as film andvideo tape, constitute RESOURCEs. In CLS, the RESOURCEs include a morediverse array of media types than a library, but the PROFILEs serve afunction similar to that of the cards.

Adaption of CLS to Education

A LEARNING PROFILE is generated for each student, in a manner discussedin greater detail below, and these are called LEARNING PROFILES, todistinguish them from RESOURCE PROFILES, which describe RESOURCES, andnot students. The LEARNING PROFILEs conform to the PROFILEs used by CLSfor RESOURCEs generally. The student-PROFILEs contain information aboutthe student which is relevant to the INTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATOR. TheLEARNING PROFILES can be arranged to follow the students through theirentire careers, subject to legislation regarding privacy of the contentof the LEARNING PROFILES.

LEARNING PROFILE Creation

The LEARNING PROFILE can be created in numerous different ways. Forexample, standard psychological testing techniques and personalinterviews can allow a counsellor to generate a LEARNING PROFILE, whichis loaded into CLS.

As another example, CLS itself can administer known, standard tests, anddevelop the LEARNING PROFILEs without intervention of a counsellor. Inpractice, the LEARNING PROFILE generation will probably be undertaken ina procedure which is a hybrid of these two examples. At the end of theSpecification, a discussion is given regarding learning strategies, andcontains additional material relevant to LEARNING PROFILE generation.

PROFILE Content

The LEARNING PROFILES contain information such as the following:

1. Student's curriculum, or "major." One benefit of the invention isthat all students, at all levels, can be given individualized attention.Even very young students can be given a "major" if desirable.

That is, in present educational systems, younger students, such as thosein the earlier years of primary education, are usually not givenspecific curricula. For these students, education tends to benon-specialized and generic; all students tend to be given similarcourses.

The invention allows education to be tailored to individual needs, atall educational levels. One reason is reduction in cost: the inventioncontains the vast array of lessons needed to provide individualattention. There is very little added cost in making the individualattention available to additional students.

2. Preferred teaching strategies. At the end of the Specification,teaching strategies are discussed. In general, different teachingstrategies are available for most, if not all, subjects. As an example,the Suzuki method of teaching piano illustrates one teaching strategy.

Under this strategy, students listen to recordings of piano music playedby a master, and then imitate the master by playing the musicthemselves, while reading sheet scores of the music. While the studentplays, a teacher coaches the student. Right from the start, the studentplays complete (though simple) songs.

In contrast, under another method, the student does not initially studycomplete songs, but instead studies the components of songs, namely,single notes, their duration, their intensity, and so on.

Both methods have their advocates and critics. Without considering thedebate itself, it seems reasonable to assume that neither method isperfectly suited to all students.

The invention, if called upon to teach piano, would recognize this fact.Under the invention, each student's PROFILE contains an indication ofthe student's preference, such as for the Suzuki method, or anotherapproach, and the student is instructed accordingly.

3. Student's present standing. The PROFILEs contain a statement of thestudent's previous accomplishments, which indicate the student's presentstanding, or status. From a lifetime viewpoint, the present standingrefers to the present educational level of the student, such as fifthgrade, or college sophomore.

From a more focused viewpoint, the present standing refers to thecourses presently being taken, and the progress made in each. Forexample, in a high-school course in algebra containing 60 lessons, thepresent standing will indicate the number of lessons successfullycompleted.

The present standing provides specific information for CLS to use indetermining what material to present to a student during a givensession.

The present standing is preferably ascertained in a non-intrusive,transparent manner, based on a demonstration of level of competency bythe student. Level of competency can be determined, in many, if notmost, subjects, by assessment in a hierarchical fashion. For example,assume that a given student is undertaking a course in calculus.Calculus textbooks present material in a sequential manner, in the sensethat mastery of earlier material is required as a prerequisite tounderstanding later material. A simple assessment of level of competencyof a student can be done by determining in which chapter of the textbookthe student's mastery ends.

As another example, assume that the student is undertaking a course ingas turbine engine maintenance. Many maintenance procedures involvesequences of events, wherein the order cannot be changed. A student'slevel of competency can be assessed by determining how much of a givensequence the student has mastered.

It is significant that the source of a student's knowledge whichdetermine the level of competence is not germane to the assessmentprocess. The assessment process seeks to determine a level ofperformance, or level of competency, because the goal of the overalleducation process is to enhance ability to perform.

4. Significant personalized information. This is perhaps a sub-class ofpreferred teaching strategies. This section contains information aboutunique attributes of the student which either present difficulties inteaching the student, or facilitate teaching.

For example, a student who has a hearing impairment may require speciallessons, as compared with a student having hearing abilities within thenorm of a standard population. As another example, a student who has aphotographic memory may find that learning the vocabulary of a foreignlanguage is an extremely simple task.

The PROFILEs, in general, facilitate the IA's matching of the students'needs with the RESOURCEs which are suited to those needs. The PROFILEscontain information such as that described above, plus additionalinformation required, to accomplish this goal.

RESOURCEs

In general, RESOURCEs include all materials made available by CLS. Inthe context of education, RESOURCEs include a significant number ofcomputer programs which teach. There are numerous types of suchprograms, and hundreds, and perhaps thousands, are commerciallyavailable today.

Intelligent Administrator

The Intelligent Administrator (IA) is a system of computer programs,which can operate alone, or in conjunction with an SME or otherconsultant. The IA does the following:

1. Based on PROFILEs, the IA assesses a student's current standingwithin a curriculum, and determines the skills required for thestudent's present advancement.

For example, the IA may determine that a given student stands at thebeginning of the junior year in high school, and that the student hassuccessfully completed 12 of 60 lessons in analytic geometry. Based onthis assessment, the IA decides that lesson number 13 should be givennext.

2. The IA locates the RESOURCEs necessary for the required lessons. Inthis example, the IA would locate lesson 13, identified above. Lesson 13will probably reside in the local school district's REPOSITORY, but,because of the capabilities of CLS, lesson 13 can reside anywhere withinthe overall CLS system.

Since multiple teaching strategies are available, and are used if thefirst-chosen strategy does not produce results, the IA locates themultiple RESOURCEs which represent the multiple strategies. (In thegeneral case, these RESOURCEs will not be located in the sameREPOSITORY, although they can be.)

3. The IA assesses whether the RESOURCEs are successfully imparting theknowledge desired to the students. This assessment can be done by usingknown, standardized testing approaches, given by computer.

Additional Considerations and Characterizations

1. Different presentation of a given lesson was discussed above. In thesection entitled "Teaching Strategies Generally," located below,references are discussed which elaborate on the concept of differentlearning behavior of different students. These references provide thegeneral principles of creating different presentations.

A more rote-minded approach would be based on the fact that differentteachers themselves probably make different presentations of a giventopic. Therefore, one approach to generating the different presentationsis to assign a number of teachers, say ten, the task of each writing alesson explaining a topic. The ten different lessons will provide tendifferent presentations for the collection of presentations.

2. The invention measures the rate of learning of the student, andprompt the student to end a lesson when the rate is seen tosignificantly falter. For example, suppose that a student is studying asubject which is memorization-intensive, such as biology. The lessonscan be arranged such that learning is presented in groups of twentyconcepts. After each group of twenty is presented, an assessment of thestudent is done.

The IA logs the time required by the student to learn each group. Whenthe time falls below the best time by a predetermined amount, say thirtypercent, the IA attempts a different teaching strategy. If that fails,after a predetermined number of attempts, then the IA patches thestudent into a Subject Matter Expert.

3. One form of the invention includes the following components:

a) CLS.

b) The educational programs, including the different presentations of agiven subject, which are commercially available, or can be developedbased on known principles.

c) PROFILES, which are developed according to the teachings of thisSpecification.

d) The INTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATOR, which primarily

i) selects different teaching strategies, based on

A) profile of student and

B) success of previous lessons.

The details concerning implementation of the INTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATORare known, given the mission of the IA as described herein.

e) The SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS.

4. The video conferencing feature of CLS allows a SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTto teach small groups of students, and the students to confer with eachother. As an example, after students in an ordinary school take anexamination, many of them congregate and compare opinions on the exam.Under the invention, similar behavior is possible, but by way of videoconferencing.

5. The distributed aspect of learning is important. A student canundertake learning at any location, provided a Communicator is availableto link with CLS, or an equivalent.

For example, a newly hired business person must learn certain internalprocedures followed within the hiring organization, such as filling outexpense account forms. It is known in the art how to write a programwhich explains how to fill out such a form. (In a highly simplisticsense, the program can merely repeat the text of written instructionswhich undoubtedly have been written.)

This instructional program is made available via CLS. The businessperson can now learn how to fill out the expense "form," using aCommunicator, such as a PC and a modem, at any desired location, such asin a waiting lounge at an airport. Then, having mastered the procedure,the person can fill out needed "forms" at any location whatsoever,provided a link to CLS, or to an equivalent, is available.

6. Two learning styles are discussed herein, namely, "holistic" and"linear." There exist other distinctions in approaches to explainingsubject matter to a student. Three examples are the following.

A. Some students prefer to read material; others prefer to hear anexplanation of material spoken by a teacher.

B. Some students prefer to have material presented in a verbal format,either in writing (which is read) or in speech (which is heard). Otherstudents prefer to have material presented in graphical format. A goodexample of this distinction is found in Gray's Anatomy. Two versionsexist: there is a version which is primarily textual, and contains fewpictures. There is another version which is primarily graphical, and isreplete with pictures.

C. When technique is being taught, some students prefer to see ademonstration; others prefer to hear a description of the principles ofthat demonstration.

Profiles and Learning Strategies One approach to Developing a LearningProfile

The invention obtains necessary data from the student, such as name,age, and previous learning completed in school. This information allowsthe AI to place the student in the proper grade.

The invention then ascertains the student's preferred learning stylethrough an entry adventure. (Different adventures will be given tostudents of different age, so the age, or last grade completed, willinfluence the choice of entry adventure presented to the student.)

Each student can take a new entry adventure every year, to ascertainwhether the learning characteristics have changed. Also, since girls andboys differ in their intellectual and social development, and since theentry adventure should catch their interest and create enthusiasm forthe coming year's studies, different versions will be used for boys andgirls.

In this adventure students solve a problem, or pursue an adventure. Thechoices made indicate their comprehension speed and favored style oflearning.

Learning Speed

The student's learning speed can be measured by how long it takes astudent to solve a given problem, or to perform an assigned task.Several problems will be embedded in the adventure; the problems willprovide information and then require the student to apply it insituations which require different levels of complexity and integration.The invention can tally the total time elapsed for the student to solvethe problems, and compare the total to the norm for that grade in thestudent's school district or region. (This learning speed measure isdifferent from IQ measurement; research has shown that evenabove-average students differ in their learning speed.)

Physiology Can Correlate with Learning Speed

There has been some research pioneered by W. C. Sheldon at Harvard inthe 1930's and 40's, on the correlation between body type and learningcharacteristics. (Smith, 1949, pp. 310-320). Sheldon delineated threebody types, based on the embryonic source of tissue: ectomorph (tall andskinny), mesomorph (compact and muscular) and endomorph (large and oroverweight).

More recently, Chopra has pointed out that a particular traditionalmedical system, of interest to him, also defines three basicphysiological types in a manner similar to Sheldon's. (Chopra 1990, pp.33-41).

According to Chopra, some students (endomorphs) learn slowly but retainknowledge quite well, and others who learn quickly tend to forget justas quickly (ectomorphs).

Therefore, physical examination of students may provide data indicativeof learning characteristics. Further, the invention can be used tovalidate, or derive, correlations between measured physiologicalparameters and learning behavior. When correlations are found, theidentification of learning characteristics can be made based on thephysiological parameters, which are presumably easier to ascertain.

For example, a standard set of physiological parameters of students aremeasured and placed into the PROFILES. Known medical and public healthtechniques list these standard parameters. Then, over time, theINTELLIGENT ADMINISTRATOR looks for correlations between learning speed,preferred learning style, etc., and the parameters. Known statisticaltechniques provide the correlation.

When correlations are found, then the measured physical parameters areused to indicate the learning characteristics of subsequent students,rather than testing for the characteristics themselves.

Preferred Style of Learning

There is much written in educational psychology about learning styles,usually referred to as "cognitive styles." Cognitive style, or learningstyle, refers to the way in which a student prefers to organize his orher thought processes--his or her preferred mode of thinking. There area few different approaches which could be used, but by far the largestbody of research shows that learning style preferences usually fall intoone of two groups, stereotyped as artistic or scientific thinking.

Hunter Breland, a research psychologist for the U.S. nationalEducational Testing Service, asserts that "the most widely examined"cognitive style is the continuum of field dependence/independence(Breland, 1981, p. 38). The basic difference between field dependent andfield independent problem-solver is that the former tend to depend oncues from the environment to solve the problem, and the latter tend torely more on internal cues. He quotes a study by Witkin et al. (1977)which indicates that field-independent college students tend to major inthe sciences while the more field-dependent students gravitate towardmajors in education (p. 38).

Entwistle (1981) writes about Pask's research categorizing students as"holist" or "serialist." The holist learning style, called comprehensionlearning, involves "building descriptions of what is known." Theserialist style is called operation learning, "the facet of the learningprocess concerned with mastering procedural details." (p. 93)

When Pask assigned students to either a matched or mismatched learningsituation, the results were notable: the matched students were able toanswer most of the questions regarding the lesson, while the mismatchedstudents generally scored less than 50% correct. Entwistle's conclusionis that although teachers will never provide as extreme an example ofmismatching, there is evidence in primary education to support the factthat different teaching methods are effective to different degrees forstudents with different personality characteristics.

There has been other research indicating that students differ in theirpreference of inductive or deductive reasoning. Another area of researchhas been whether students prefer to use what are commonly considered"right brain" skills (creativity, association, imagery, analogies,spatial relationships, feelings) or "left brain" skills (logic,sequence, organization, structure, procedure).

All of these approaches have the same theme: the basic question iswhether a student prefers to use logical, procedural, linear thoughtprocesses or holistic creative (associative), spatial processes. Mostauthors point out that many learners are flexible and can moverelatively easily between the two cognitive styles. And, as most everyauthor points out, everyone must use both approaches at different stagesin the solution of a problem, and the ideal is to be able to functionwell in both (e.g., an architect must think creatively to plan a house,but then he must also know clearly the sequence of building, or thehouse will not materialize).

This computer program can assess whether one of these learning styles ispreferred on the basis of choices made in the context of the entryadventure. If a student is reasonably comfortable with both, then he orshe will be branched into the standard curriculum, which is a mix ofboth styles. If, however, a student displays a dear preference for onestyle, he/she will be branched into a curriculum which favorsexplanations and examples in that style.

Delivering the Content and Mastery of the Material

The curriculum must also be structured from sound learning principles.There are a few different schemes for classifying the necessaryconditions for learning but Gagne's learning outcomes and conditions oflearning are the most thoroughly developed and therefore the most usefulin developing computer-based instruction.

Gagne classified all possible learning outcomes into five performancecategories: intellectual skills, cognitive strategies, verbalinformation, motor skills, and attitudes. Examples of these, along withtheir subcategories, are shown in Table 3.1, below, taken from Gagne'sEssentials of Learning for Instruction (1975, p. 68). These are usefulfor design purposes in that they describe capabilities which applyacross all subject matter areas. According to Gagne, certain conditionsare necessary for learning each of these types of outcomes. Someconditions are "internal" and some are "external."

The internal conditions define prerequisite knowledge or skills, andexternal conditions define certain aspects of the instruction; theinvention should be concerned with both. The following descriptions ofinternal and external conditions required are derived from Gagne's TheConditions of Learning (1977, pp. 25-49).

For the learning of intellectual skills, the primary internal conditionis that the student have prerequisite skills which provide thecomponents of the new skill being learned. External conditions are oftenin the form of verbal directions which guide the combination of simplerskills into a new integrated whole.

In terms of verbal information, internal requirements are that thelearner have a good mastery of linguistic rules and vocabulary in orderto understand statements presented, and he or she must also havepreviously existing "cognitive structures" (p. 40), or structures ofmeaningfully organized information which will give meaning and contextto the new material presented.

One external condition is stimulation of the appropriate cognitivestructure (usually in the form of an advance organizer). Another isinforming the learner of the objective of the learning; this focuses thelearner's attention. A third may be repeated hearing or reading of aninformational passage; most modern theories concur that more informationis assimilated with each repetition (p. 40).

Cognitive strategies refer to how the learner organizes his or her ownthought processes (attention, learning, remembering, thinking). Theinternal conditions required are memory of intellectual skills andverbal information previously learned which relate to the new taskpresented. The most effective external condition is evidently frequentopportunities to practice strategizing. According to Gagne, practicerefines and improves the strategies.

                  TABLE 3.1    ______________________________________    Five Major Categories of Human Capabilities,    Representing the Outcomes of Learning with Examples of Each                  Example of Human Performance Made    Learning Outcome                  Possible by the Capability    ______________________________________    Verbal Information                  Stating the provisions of the First                  Amendment to the U.S. Constitution    Intellectual Skill                  Showing how to do the following:    Discrimination                  Distinguishing printed b's from d's    Concrete Concept                  Identifying the spatial relation "be                  low"    Defined Concept                  Classifying a "city" by using a                  definition    Rule          Demonstrating that water changes state                  at 100 C.    Higher-order Rule                  Generating a rule for predicting                  rainfall, given conditions of location                  and terrain    Cognitive Strategy                  Originating a novel plan for disposing                  of fallen leaves    Attitude      Choosing swimming as a preferred                  exercise    Motor Skill   Executing the performance of planing the                  edge of a board    ______________________________________

The learning of motor skills (e.g., courses in drafting, carpentry, etc.in the curriculum) requires the student to master in overall sequenceand pattern of movements. Especially in the case of a complicatedprocedure (e.g., constructing a chair) sometimes the sequence must belearned in parts, which are then put together. The main externalcondition required is repeated practice, which makes performance moreand more smooth and predictable.

Attitudes are expressed behaviorally; therefore one internal conditionfor learning new attitudes is that the learner must have masteredwhatever skills or knowledge the behavior requires (e.g., knowledge ofthe rules in order to enjoy playing chess, etc.) Another internalcondition is that the learner must have admiration and respect forpeople who are seen doing the behavior; this is called "human modelling"(p. 46.) The only external conditions which seem to be effective arethat either the learner himself or a human model experiences the effectsof an action as "good" or "bad."

A summary of the external conditions which facilitate learning is shownin Table 4.2, from Essentials of Learning for Instruction (Gagne, 1975,p. 93). One way the invention will ensure mastery will be that theentire curriculum will be designed in accordance with these sound andwidely accepted learning conditions of Gagne.

The invention has two ways to help a student who demonstrates throughhis or her score that internal conditions of learning are deficient(e.g., prerequisite skills or knowledge are lacking). The first is thata HELP screen is always available at the student's request. To avoidboredom or frustration, a student will be able to access a HELP screenat any point during an instructional unit. This first level HELP screenwill allow the student to:

change skill levels (learning speeds)

change learning styles

request another explanation

request review of any previous material

request a conference with a teacher

Depending on the option chosen, the invention will then adjust astudent's learning speed up or down, give another explanation andexamples (one in the same learning style and one in a different learningstyle), review specific sections in the unit (or all previousinformation in the unit), or connect the student to a live videoteleconference with a teacher. Access to this HELP screen is optional,and a student may choose it once, several times, or not at all during aunit of instruction.

                  TABLE 4.2    ______________________________________    A Summary of External Conditions Which Can    Critically Influence the Processes of Learning    Class of Learning    Objective     Critical Learning Conditions    ______________________________________    Verbal Information                  1. Activating attention by variations                  in print or speech                  2. Presenting a meaningful context                  (including imagery) for effective coding    Intellectual Skill                  1. Stimulating the retrieval of                  previously learned component skills                  2. Presenting verbal cues to the                  ordering of the combination of component                  skills                  3. Scheduling occasions for spaced                  reviews                  4. Using a variety of contexts to                  promote transfer    Cognitive Strategy                  1. Verbal description of strategy.                  2. Providing a frequent variety of                  occasions for the exercise of                  strategies, by posing novel problems to                  be solved.    Attitude      1. Reminding learner of success                  experiences following choice-of                  particular action; alternatively,                  insuring identification with an admired                  "human model"                  2. Performing the chosen action; or                  observing its performance by the human                  model                  3. Giving feedback for successful                  performance; or observing feedback in                  the human model    Motor Skill   1. Presenting verbal or other guidance                  to cue the learning of the executive                  subroutine                  2. Arranging repeated practice                  3. Furnishing feedback with immediacy                  and accuracy    ______________________________________

Students who score average or above average will be able to:

go to the next unit

change subjects

Request a live conference with teacher

Log off for now.

The conference option with SUBJECT MATTER EXPERTS makes it possible fora student who has mastered the unit but who is curious about tangentialor deeper levels of the material to ask questions while his or herinterest is still fresh. If a teacher needs to research the answer, thestudent could find the answer on the system at log on the next day, orCLS can page the student with a notice of the answer's availability.

A student who scores below average on the unit would automatically begiven a diagnostic check. This is the second way in which the system canassess lack of prerequisite skills, as well as other problems. Thediagnostic check will be in the form of a question (Did you use the HELPscreen during the unit?) and a menu for the student to choose from:

Too easy

Too hard

Not straightforward enough (linear-biased learners will tend to thinkthis about a curriculum that is too holistic)

Explanations seem incomplete (holistic-biased learners will tend tothink this about a curriculum that is too linear).

Other

(Re-wording may be necessary for younger learners, but the idea will bethe same.)

The computer system will automatically process the diagnostic resultsand adjust the curriculum accordingly. If the student requests, orchecks "Other" he/she will be connected with a teacher for a liveteleconference. After this diagnostic step, the student will then begiven a menu screen with the choices:

further study

change subjects

log off

If the student chooses to either change subjects or log off, thecomputer will automatically place him at the beginning of customizedremediation for this unit the next time this subject is requested. Ifthe student chooses further study, he will begin the customized remedialcontent for the unit. This will include new explanations, examples, andpractice situations.

When the remedial unit is complete, the score is displayed, and theabove loop is repeated. If the student's score is still below average,he should automatically be connected with a teacher for a conference.

The teachers who work with this system will need to have Teachers'Guides containing all the content and resources in the system; therewill be one of these for each grade level. They will need to know thesewell so that they can give assignments within the system to coverdifferent problems that may arise.

The invention can be designed to provide many options, and the student'spreferences can lead him through the curriculum to some extent; but theteachers' role will be critical in guiding the student through any roughspots, and being sure that the entire year's curriculum is completed ontime.

Evaluation and revision must be built into the implementation of thesystem, especially for the first two years of use. Both the student andteacher should evaluate each unit of instruction as it is completed. Thestudent could have a very short on-screen questionnaire immediatelyafter the unit score is displayed, and the teacher could have the optionof recording any comments about the content or design of the unit in thelight of that student's experience.

Sample Lesson

Johnny, age 10, logs on to the system for the first time. The screenasks him to type his name, age, and assesses Johnny's last gradecompleted in school, which in this case was fourth grade.

The computer automatically branches Johnny into the fifth grade entryadventure for boys--the world of ancient Welsh legends, brought to lifeagain through a time warp caused by the bizarre collision ofincompatible electromagnetic fields on the exact spot where the Lord ofDeath was vanquished centuries ago. Death and his forces are abroadagain, causing terrible damage. The challenge is to find him and traphim into returning to this spot, where the quantum mechanical laws ofnature are normally strong enough to hold him fast.

To help Johnny solve this challenge, two guides provide assistance: oneexplains things using analogies and associations, and the other useslogical, linear, no-frills explanations. Johnny is frequently askedwhich of these guides he wants to ask for advice; in this way, thesystem can determine whether Johnny has a preferred learning style.

Johnny is given information of varying complexity at different points inthe adventure. He is then asked to apply it in a number of situations.The computer tracks how many choices it takes Johnny to solve theproblem, and compares this number to the norm. Assume that Johnny fallsinto the lower range.

Having finished the entry adventure, CLS identifies Unit 1 of thescience curriculum. He first sees a short video clip of the scienceteacher, who introduces himself, explains how the unit is structured,and reminds Johnny that the HELP screen is available at any time, andthat Johnny call talk with him in person by choosing that option. ThenJohnny begins Unit 1.

The testing indicated that Johnny is a slower learner who is morecomfortable with a holistic learning style, so he is branched into theholistic-dominant curriculum at the slower learning speed. First he seesand hears the story which acts as the advance organizer for the year'sscience study: there is a benevolent extraterrestrial messenger who hasbeen given one year to convince his superiors that the earth should bespared from destruction.

Johnny's lessons examine selected features of the earth. At the end ofeach lesson, Johnny must provide information to the messenger whichindicates whether the features studied have value, and should bepreserved, so that the messenger can relay the information. The learningobjectives for the year will be listed in this context. Then Johnny willsee the tasks (learning objectives) that he must master for Unit 1 onGeology.

The learning outcomes expected in Unit 1 also verbal information,intellectual skills (all levels) and cognitive strategies. Gagne'scritical learning conditions (e.g., presenting important ideas incontext or building in occasional reviews of what has been learned) fromTable 4.2 provide the structure for the stories, games, and adventureswhich comprise the unit of instruction.

Johnny works along in this highly--but transparentlystructured--learning environment until he doesn't understand something.At that point, he remembers that he can use the HELP screen. He choosesthe HELP screen and indicates that he wants a further explanation. He isgiven two more explanations (one in each learning style) with examplesand two practice questions at the end. His answer indicate that heunderstands, and he is branched back into the unit.

Later in the unit, he isn't sure that he understands something and hechooses "practice questions" under HELP 1. Still confused after those heasks for further explanation, which still doesn't clear up the problem.He is automatically branched into a live teleconference with theteacher, who sets him back on track, and tells Johnny how he can getmore information on the subject if he wants, but tells him that now hecan also go on if he prefers.

Johnny continues work in the unit until he has another question; hecalls up the HELP screen and selects "further explanation." This time heunderstands well enough after the explanations to answer the twopractice questions correctly, and he is then branched back into theunit.

Johnny finishes the unit with a test of his mastery of the learningobjectives for the unit. Rather than calling it a test, the systempresents it as his report for the extraterrestrial; it includesgeological reasons why the earth, and the study of its geology, isimportant.

Johnny finishes the unit with an average score. He is asked to answerthree short questions ("What did you like best about this unit?" "Whatdid you like least . . . ?" "Any ideas for making it better?") regardingthe appeal and effectiveness of the unit. Then he is given the optionsof going on to the next unit, changing subjects, talking with theteacher, or logging off.

FIGS. 2-4 illustrate part of the procedures described above, inflow-chart fashion, and are considered self-explanatory.

The following references describe ascertainment of a student's learningstyle, and are incorporated by reference.

REFERENCES

Anderson, Scarvia; Ball, Samuel; Murphy, Richard T., and Associates,Encyclopedia of Educational Evaluation, Jossey-Bass Publishers, USA,1977, pp. 63-65.

Breland, Hunter M., Assessing Student Characteristics in Admissions toHigher Education: A Review of Procedures, Research Monograph Number 9,The College Board, New York, 1981, p. 38.

Chopra, Deepak, Perfect Health, Harmony Books, 1990.

Entwistle, Noel, Styles of Learning and Teaching, John Wiley and Sons,Ltd., 1981, pp. 87-116.

Gagne, Robert M., and Briggs, Leslie J., Principles of InstructionalDesign, Second edition, Holt, Rinehart and Winston, USA, 1979.

Gagne, Robert M., Essentials of Learning for Instruction, The DrydenPres, University of Florida, 1975.

Gagne, Robert M., The Conditions of Learning, Holt, Rinehart andWinston, 1977.

Hilgard, Ernest R. and Bower, Gordon H., Theories of Learning, FourthEdition, Prentice Hall, 1975.

Scott J. William A.; Osgood, D. Wayne; and Peterson, Christopher,Cognitive Structure, Theory and Measurement of Individual Differences,V. H. Winston and Sons, Washington, D.C., 1979, pp. 36-83.

Smith, H. C., "Psychometric Checks on Hypothesis Derived from Sheldon'sWork on Physique and Temperament," Journal of Personality, 17:310-320,1949.

Standards for Educational and Psychological Tests, AmericanPsychological Association, Inc., Washington, D.C., 1974.

Thorndike, Robert L., and Hagen, Elizabeth P., Measurement andEvaluation in Psychology and Education, Fourth Edition. John Wiley andSons, Inc., 1977, pp. 394-445.

Definitional Matters

One definition of the following terms is given.

Curriculum is the overall course of study taken by a student. Forexample, a college curriculum for a major in mathematics has a knowncontent.

A subject is a subset of a curriculum. For example, for a curriculum inmathematics, differential equations is a subject. A Topic is a subset ofa subject. For example, for differential equations, a topic is theWronskian.

A lesson explains one or more topics.

A teaching strategy is designed to accommodate a student's preferredlearning style, such as the holistic style.

Communicators are devices which allow remote interaction with acomputer. A PC containing a modem is one example. However, communicatorsare not limited to PCs. A home television, and telephone, can be used ascommunicators, when equipped with appropriate, known, auxiliaryequipment.

Patching is a term taken from the ham radio art, and refers toestablishing a telecommunication link.

Concatenable means able to be expanded by concatenation.

Progressive means adaptable to arrangement in a progression, orsequence. For example, the subjects taught in grades 1 through 5 arearranges in a sequence, and are progressive.

Roving Communicators refer to the absence of tethers which force theCommunicators to be used at a fixed location. A PC using a cellularmodem provides an example of a Roving Communicator.

Numerous substitutions and modifications can be undertaken withoutdeparting from the true spirit and scope of the invention.

What is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is the invention asdefined in the following claims:
 1. A computer system which presentseducational material to a student and tests the student's grasp of thematerial, comprising:(a) profile generation means, performed by thecomputer system, for obtaining information from the student, for usingthe information to generate a profile of the student, which includes anindication of a preferred learning style of the student, and for storingthe profile on the computer system; and (b) intelligent administratormeans, performed by the computer system, for examining the student'sprofile stored in the computer system, for selecting lessons for thestudent based on the student's profile, for administering examinationsto the student corresponding to the selected lessons, and forestablishing a video conference between the student and a subject matterexpert when the student fails to demonstrate mastery of the selectedlessons.
 2. A system according to claim 1, in which the profilegeneration means comprises means for obtaining information from thestudent both actively and non-intrusively.
 3. A method of teaching usinga computerized system which presents material to students, and assesseswhether students understand the material presented, comprising thefollowing steps:(a) creating profiles in the computer system, whichdescribe learning characteristics of students, based on factors whichinclude one or more of the following: (i) standardized test results;(ii) results of personal interviews; and (iii) evaluation of student'sperformance of assigned tasks; (b) storing the profiles within thecomputer system; (c) examining the student's profile stored in thecomputer system; (d) selecting lessons for the student based on thestudent's profile; (e) administering examinations to the studentcorresponding to the selected lessons; and (f) establishing a videoconference between the student and a subject matter expert when thestudent fails to demonstrate mastery of the selected lessons.
 4. Amethod of teaching using a computer system which contains a plurality oflessons, comprising the following steps:(a) storing learning profileswhich contain information about learning characteristics of students inthe computer system; (b) selecting lessons for students, based on theprofile; (c) administering examinations to the student corresponding tothe selected lessons; and (d) establishing a video conference betweenthe student and a subject matter expert when the student fails todemonstrate mastery of the selected lessons.